Medical watchdog hears about a string of complaints against Ysbyty Gwynedd nurse who was regularly rude to staff and patients

A nurse who bullied elderly patients, made mistakes with medication and was regularly rude to staff and visitors has been banned from nursing for a year.

Staff nurse Anita Owen, who is in her 60s, pointedly questioned a visitor’s need to give her chronically ill grandmother a drink saying “she is dying anyway”.

In more than a decade working for Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board at Ysbyty Gwynedd, her career was marked by a host of complaints. Ms Owen resigned from her job last summer after an interim investigation into an allegation of patient bullying.

Her unnamed elderly victim, who had problems swallowing and could only take one tablet at a time, was left tearful by Ms Owen in July 2011. She was ordered by the staff nurse to drink a full cup of water and take three tablets at once.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practice hearing found yesterday that allegation and a series of others she faced were proved.

Ms Owen, who did not attend the hearing, will have to show evidence of real reflection in her behaviour to a future panel if she wants to be reinstated.

The panel listed 26 allegations against Ms Owen covering a period from 1998 until 2011. They found 12 proved and 14 “unproved”.

The panel heard Ms Owen began working on Moelwyn ward, dealing with respiratory, elderly care, and patients with diabetes, from 1998. “She was moved to Tegid ward in 2001 following a number of complaints and errors,” NMC documentation states. That ward, which later became Prysor ward, was where she worked for the rest of her time at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

Before her initial move she made a number of medication errors and was sent on a drug administration workshop to improve her performance.

One of the allegations found to be proved dates from November 2000 when Owen gave a patient an incorrect dose of a drug. She was later to deny the allegation in writing to the panel which noted she had signed and agreed a “plan of action” at work after the incident.

None of the victims are named but the report describes the incidents in detail.

One which was found to be proved happened in July 2009.

“When asked by a patient’s granddaughter for a sponge to give the patient a drink, (Owen) replied saying: ”why would you want to give your grandmother a drink? She is dying anyway.“

Ms Owen sent a letter to the panel in June in which she admitted using the term “dying” may have been a blunt use of language. Her letter goes on to contradict itself by denying she would ever have used such language.

Among allegations found to be proved by the NMC panel are claims of instances when Owen was “challenging and confrontational” to colleagues, rude to pharmacy staff and shouted at one colleague to “shut up.”

A Betsi Cadwaladr spokesman said after the hearing: “Ms Owen no longer works for the Health Board. She was suspended at the time of the incident and, following the conclusion of an internal investigation, Ms Owen did not attend a disciplinary hearing in April 2012 and subsequently submitted her resignation.

“Earlier concerns over her performance were addressed in line with Health Board policy through a combination of support, supervised practice and a training plan. As was noted by the NMC, at the time Ms Owen engaged with the training, demonstrated insight and apologised for her failings.

“Unfortunately over time further concerns came to light and standards and conduct did not improve. An internal investigation was started and Ms Owen was subsequently referred to the NMC in line with their Fitness to Practise procedures.”

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The Editor

Mark Thoma

Liverpool-born Mark joined the Daily Post in January 2014 after seven years as editor of its Merseyside sister title the Liverpool Post. He started out as a weekly news reporter on Wirral Newspapers, and spent seven years at the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo. He was The Press Association's regional correspondent for North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire from 1983 to 1997, before returning to the ECHO as deputy news editor. He has won a number of journalism awards, including the UK Press Gazzette Regional Reporter of the Year award, and in 1993 wrote a book on the James Bulger murder.